In Allentown, a time for healing

For four days, Allentown officials, residents and clergymen have tried to ease the tension and suffering that have grown since 4- year-old Daviay Legrand was accidently killed by a police car last week.

The city took full responsibility, agreed to cover all funeral and medical costs and promised a thorough investigation; ministers have urged for peace and understanding on the streets; and residents have kept Daviay's memory close to their hearts, as evidenced by the massive shrine at N. Seventh and Chew streets in Daviay's memory.

Positive steps have been taken, but the tensions were still there. Sunday was a time for healing.

"We are sitting on a keg of dynamite," the Rev. Michael Comick told a crowd of approximately 200 people during a community forum on healing at the New Bethany Church on N. Sixth Street. "It will be what happens here that defuses that dynamite."

To ease the healing process, city leaders answered questions about how the Wednesday accident was handled and about the ongoing investigation and debunked rumors that have spread since two Allentown officers collided Wednesday night at N. Seventh and Chew streets while responding to an emergency call, sending one patrol car careening onto a sidewalk, killing Daviay and seriously injuring his mother's boyfriend, Jason Marcelle.

"Early on, we felt it would be wise to call the state police and their accident reconstruction team because there would be a perception that Allentown was trying to hide something," said Chief Roger MacLean. "We wanted to make sure that this was open, that there was no kind of cover-up."

Mayor Ed Pawlowski has been a visual presence at the crash site since the night the accident happened and explained to the crowd, many of them community activists and religious leaders, about the rumors he has heard.

Among the rumors: that Marcelle,who had both his legs broken, had died from his injuries and that Daviay's father suffered a heart attack upon learning of his son's death. Pawlowski told the crowd that Marcelle is recovering at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest and Daviay's father suffered no heart attack.

Another rumor was that one of the police cruisers was going the wrong way on N. Seventh Street before the crash, which Pawlowski also stressed was untrue.

Law enforcement officials, including MacLean and Lehigh County District Attorney James Martin, answered questions without getting into details that are part of the crash investigation.

Among the biggest concerns was the way the officers, John Buckwalter and Brett Guth, were driving and what will happen to them.

Assistant Chief Joe Hanna said that according to police protocol, officers are allowed to drive through red lights and stop signs as long as caution is used. The speed of the cars has not been determined, nor has whether either car activated its emergency lights and sirens.

Buckwalter and Guth were placed on paid administrative leave, but some in the crowd questioned that move. One young man who left before the forum was over said if anyone other than a police officer was in a similar accident, they would have been handcuffed and hauled off to jail.

Another concern was the response time of ambulances to the crash and rescue workers' actions at the scene. Assistant Chief David M. Howells Jr. said the first ambulance responded to the 8:35 p.m. accident two minutes after it happened and a second ambulance showed up a minute later.

Once there, "they immediately recognized that Daviay was no longer with us," Howells said. "It was immediately apparent from his injuries." Paramedics then rushed to assist other victims, including Marcelle and the officers, who suffered minor injuries.

Some in the crowd said they were near the scene of the accident and saw no wrongdoing by police officers. Still, many who live near N. Seventh and Chew streets have insisted that Buckwalter and Guth were driving carelessly.

Besides a few hostile voices and some in the crowd wearing airbrushed T-shirts that paid tribute to Daviay on the back and expressed anti-police sentiments on the front, the community forum was mostly about getting information and healing.

Many said the tragedy can end in one of two ways: bringing the community together or tearing it apart.

The Rev. David Jones, the great-uncle of Daviay, has been key in helping ease the anger and tension. On Wednesday night, some people began throwing bottles and other objects at police and the next night rumors had spread of even more unrest.

"We are all enraged," he said Sunday. "But let not our anger turn to sin."

Jones read a statement from Crystal Legrand, Daviay's mother, who did not attend the forum because family members advised her it was too early for her in her time of grieving and healing.

"I understand why Daviay came into my life and what his purpose was: To make me a better person and to change the way I was living, and he has done that," the statement said. "I am hurt and angry at how he was taken, but I thank God for Daviay and I will always love him and miss him."

Jones said this is the time for the community, especially younger people, to use the tragedy to make something positive with their lives. "Do something that Daviay will never be able to do," he said.

City Councilman Tony Phillips said everyone is suffering, even the two officers and their families. Buckwalter broke down in tears the night of the accident and both officers will require counseling, he said.

Phillips urged residents to use common sense before things get out of control.

"We need to find a way to make a legacy of this child," he said. "Please, please let us learn from the mistakes of Wednesday night."